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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. court — for sport
  4. bat — the animal
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. wake — a trail
  7. court — of a king
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. squash — the sport
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. court — of law
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com